Sports briefs

Holyfield fights Ruiz again

It's hard to sell Evander Holyfield's rematch with John Ruiz when the champion is not really a champion and the challenger might not really be a contender. It becomes harder when Holyfield doesn't buy into the story.

MORE BOXING: WBA featherweight champ Derrick Gainer, 28, was free on bond after an innocent plea to a battery charge, which was made when his estranged wife said he grabbed her by the throat and shoved her down.Laila Ali and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, together for the first time on the same card, scored separate knockouts in Verona, N.Y., to remain undefeated.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The Big East voted to discontinue Temple's membership effective June 30, 2002. Temple athletic officials had not heard the decision and had no immediate comment, athletic department spokesman Bob Lange said. Big East commissioner Michael Tranghese said Temple, the league's sole football-only member, consistently failed to meet criteria unanimously adopted by the members in 1996, such as attendance and non-conference scheduling. ... An internal investigation at Kentucky uncovered more than three dozen violations of NCAA rules dating to February 1999, school officials said. Athletic director Larry Ivy and assistant for compliance Sandy Bell would not provide specifics. The report cited coach Hal Mumme, who resigned Feb. 6, for "failure to exercise appropriate control of the football program." ... Minnesota officials said they do not believe any "extra benefit" violation occurred, and no player must be declared ineligible, as a result of misuse of a long-distance telephone access code.

SOCCER: The United States faces Brazil today in a men's exhibition at the Rose Bowl. The Brazilians brought much of the first-string team, including Romario, Edilson, Christian, Cafu and Emerson. ... MLS champion Kansas City traded midfielder Preki Radosavljevic to Miami for a 2002 draft pick and future consideration. ... Saint-Etienne was penalized seven points in the standings by the French federation for using players with fake passports.

COLLEGES: Wake Forest defeated Florida 5-2 in men's tennis at Winston-Salem, N.C. ... The USF women's tennis team lost 6-1 at South Alabama. Natalie Schwartz won at No. 3 singles for USF. ... In softball, Florida defeated Florida A&M 6-4 and Georgia Southern 7-6 in 11 innings at the Georgia Southern Eagle Classic. Also, host Florida State beat Central Michigan 3-1. ... In baseball, USF beat Western Michigan 7-2 in the Devil Rays College Invitational at Florida Power Park in St. Petersburg as John Gorham retired 20 of the last 23 batters he faced. Miami beat San Diego State 8-6 at the Hormel Foods Classic at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Also, Blair Varmes threw seven scoreless innings to lead host FSU past Michigan State 7-4.

FIGURE SKATING: Russian Kristina Oblasova led American Ann Patrice McDonough in the women's short program at the World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Russians Natasha Romaniuta and Danili Barantsev won the ice dance title for the second straight year with Americans Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto second.

SKIING: Daron Rahlves was disqualified for an improperly tied bib following a fourth-place finish in a World Cup downhill at Kvitfjell, Norway. Hermann Maier won.

HORSES: Serena's Tune beat Langoureuse by 13/4 lengths in the $115,100 La Habra Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita. ... Tiznow, the 2000 Horse of the Year, highlights a field of 13 for today's Santa Anita Handicap.